


Powerful Protector Predicament

by PrincessofPunk8



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: F/F, superhero au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2018-11-21 13:20:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11358330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessofPunk8/pseuds/PrincessofPunk8
Summary: Torn between two lives, Nia finds herself in the middle of an uncomfortable situation in both of her identities. The mysterious Pixie Princess plagues her city, and the stunning lawyer her cousin sets her up with plagues her heart. The predicament, which of the two does she trust and how does she fight a lawyer that has already ingrained her way into Nia's life?





	Powerful Protector Predicament

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SamoanSexGodReigns](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamoanSexGodReigns/gifts).



Nia pulled the black mask down over her eyes again as she got ready to move. In the distance, she could see flashing lights, although she couldn’t hear the sirens. Rather than being a result of the distance between them, the lack of sirens was symbolic of the police force trying to catch the Pixie Princess – a supervillain who seemed only concerned with rapidly increasing her own wealth. She never killed or harmed anyone, the worst she had done to people who got in her way was blow some sort of powder in their face that put them to sleep. She had been plaguing the city for months, and no matter how hard Nia and the police tried to catch her, it seemed a pointless endeavour. Despite knowing this, Nia took several steps back, before she ran forward and leapt off the roof. Easily landing on the next building, despite it being further than any unenhanced person could jump, she took off running towards the flashing lights.

Nia was the protector of her city. She had never come out and announced who she was, but her official superhero name – given to her by the media of course – was Force. People often wondered what she was the force of, and she took great delight in remaining mysterious and aloof, and letting them wonder. After all, since she had begun to fight crime, she had worked in darkness and shadows, never letting her opponents see her face. Mysterious and aloof were practically her codenames by the time the media noticed her.

Now, running across the roofs of buildings, Nia skidded to a stop at the sight of a woman sitting on the edge of the building. Her blonde hair was pulled back in two pigtails at the back of her head, the ends of them dipped in blue. She was dressed in what appeared to be a blue and silver leotard that covered her arms except for cut-outs at her shoulders, and Nia could see a blue and white tutu tied around her hips.

“Uhmm…ma’am, are you all right?” Nia asked, hesitating to spook the oddly-dressed woman sitting right on the lip of the building. The lady giggled and tossed her blonde hair back, leaning back further on her hands and tilting her head backwards. Even in the shadows, Nia could see the elaborate blue and silver mask settled on the woman’s nose, hiding her eyes, and curling upwards until it disappeared into her hair, the blonde strands helping to give the impression that there was no join between them.

“Pixie,” Nia snarled, dropping into a fighting crouch. The Pixie Princess perched on the ledge didn’t move, seeming to be unconcerned by the large woman with super strength behind her.

“Now now, there’s no need for that,” she insisted, a smirk pulling at her lips. “I’m not causing any trouble. Just enjoying the entertainment.” Nia crept forward, peering over the edge of the building as well. Just below, on the street, what had to be half of the on-duty police force was scurrying around completely out of control. There were three officers laying on the ground, a security guard draped awkwardly across the steps leading to the bank behind them. Between the three officers, Nia recognised both the sergeant and the captain of the local precinct, as well as one of the assistants to the police chief. She sighed and shook her head, just barely resisting the urge to facepalm. The Pixie Princess stood up, and nodded to Nia.

“Well, I’ll be seeing you later I’m sure,” she said, throwing a wink towards Nia. She ran over to the opposite side of the building and stepped out. Nia almost yelled at her to be careful before she noticed the silver rope tied between the two buildings. The Pixie Princess stepped out and ran across it, not hesitating for a second, leaping off at the end and landing on the flat of the roof light as a cat. She flicked the rope from her end and it unhooked from where she had attached it to the roof Nia stood on. She coiled the silver rope up and blew Nia a kiss before she disappeared down the roof access stairs. Nia stared after her, stunned. She didn’t think about how she had finally figured out how the Pixie Princess got away after her heists, or how she should set the police force after the Pixie and get them to surround the building. No, Nia was too busy thinking about how pretty the Pixie Princess had looked running across the rope, and about the kiss she had been blown.

It took a good couple of minutes, but once Nia had shaken herself free of the stupor meeting the Pixie Princess had left her in, she jumped off the roof and landed heavily in between the police officers on the street. With a shake of her head she told them without words that she hadn’t caught the Pixie, and then snapped at them in a few short words that they had to be subtle to catch her, not just throw the most amount of people they possibly could at them. The police slowed down their frantic shuffle to a slow wander, now that they registered the disappearance of the Pixie Princess, and the loss of yet another lead in finding her.

“What did she take?” Nia asked the closest officer, dropping a hand on his shoulder.

“Nothing,” he said, his eyes wide in bewilderment. “Absolutely nothing. She walked in, set the alarms off and waved at the security cameras, then walked out without even going near the cash.” Nia waved him off impatiently, and stared up at the building to which the Pixie had made her escape, baffled as to why she had let Nia discover her when she hadn’t attempted to steal anything.

* * *

 “I told you, I’m not interested in blind dates,” Nia argued the next morning. Her cousin trailed behind her, watching as Nia moved tables around ready for the morning activities.

“And I told _you_ , you need to get out more!” Tamina insisted. “One date, she’s smart and funny, and you need to meet new people.” Nia rolled her eyes and started to add chairs to her tables. Tamina caught her arms and turned Nia to face her.

“Please Nia,” she pleaded. Nia sighed and shook her head.

“Tamina, why would you even set me up?” she asked. “You know how much I hate being set up. You were _there_ the last time I got set up and _saw_ how much of a disaster it was.”

“Because it was me or your mother,” Tamina reminded her. “Me setting you up was my way of getting her off your back.” Nia groaned and dropped her head backwards. Tamina grinned and let her go, knowing she had won.

“At least me setting you up means you get a pretty blonde, instead of a guy that looks like our cousins,” was her final parting shot as she walked away. Nia sat down heavily on a nearby desk, and brought her hands up to run them through her hair. She allowed herself a moment of stillness to silently curse Tamina in her head before she got to her feet and continued setting up her space.

* * *

Nia was cursing her cousin aloud that night as she ran towards the address that Tamina had sent her. Some stupid kid had tried to jump off his apartment building, and luckily for him, she had gotten there just in time to haul him back onto the roof. Nia – Force – had left him in the care of the police and rescue workers and darted off, getting changed as quickly as she could before she proceeded to her blind date. She dodged pedestrians between the subway stop and the restaurant, before drawing to a stop outside the doors. With a quick pass of her fingers through her dark, naturally waved hair, Nia stepped through the doors and stopped in front of the host’s stand. Tamina at least hadn’t been stupid enough to book them in for a date at a fancy restaurant, instead choosing a little Italian place that she knew Nia loved.

“I think I’m supposed to be meeting a date here?” she offered to the host, feeling completely out of place when the woman nodded and motioned for her to follow, leading her efficiently through the rows of tables. Nia felt even more out of place when the hostess stopped in front of an empty table, the anxiety at being late kicking into a new gear at the thought that her date might have thought she was being stood up and left.

“Your date will be right back,” she said pleasantly, before turning on her heel and returning to the front of the building. Her anxiety partially relieved, Nia took a seat, perched gingerly on the edge, and alternated between checking her nails and surveying the crowd as she waited to see the woman she was supposed to be on a date with.

“I was wondering if you were coming,” came the voice after a few moments. Nia looked up and straight into the eyes of one of the most stunning women she’d ever seen.

“Oh, boy was she understating,” she blurted out, a red flush colouring her cheeks as she quickly realised she’d said that aloud. The blonde hair fell to the side, revealing a flash of blue as the woman cocked her head, confused.

“I’m sorry?” she asked, pushing her hair back behind her shoulder. Nia shook her head, rubbing her palms on her thighs as she got to her feet.

“Tamina described you as pretty and well, you’re gorgeous,” she confessed, offering her hand. “I’m Nia.”

“Alexa,” the other woman said, shaking the offered hand. “And if I might say, you’re pretty stunning yourself.” She ended her sentence with a flirtatious wink, before sashaying over to her own chair and taking a seat. Nia quickly retook her own seat still blushing, suddenly conscious of the height difference between them that was exemplified when Alexa sat down.

“How do you know Tamina?” Nia asked, suddenly curious about how she came to be here. “I mean, she’s my cousin, but how did she rope you into this?” Alexa laughed.

“I work with her,” she said. “She’s been trying to set me up with someone since my last relationship breakdown, and I guess the timing was finally right this time.” She shrugged one shoulder, and tilted her head to the side. “You don’t want to be here though. She mentioned that, and then you were late.” Nia’s blushed deepened further.

“I got held up at work,” she confessed, only half lying. “And well, no I didn’t particularly want to come tonight when she mentioned it. The last time someone set me up on a blind date, it was a complete disaster.”

“Most blind dates are,” Alexa countered. “I once had a blind date where my best friend set me up with a guy that was supposed to be perfect for me, only for him to be completely gay and in this weird love-hate on-again-off-again relationship with his best friend.” Nia snorted.

“Yeah well, I bet you’ve never had a blind date with a guy, only for his perfect blonde wife and their boyfriend to show up in the middle of it,” she argued. “He took me to my cousin’s college football game, so my whole family heard me get called a homewrecker in three languages since his boyfriend spoke Swiss and German fluently.” Alexa visibly winced.

“Ok you win,” she admitted. “I promise that I don’t have some secret wife hidden away though.” Her eyes sparkled with unheard laughter, and Nia couldn’t help but let a smile tilt the corner of her lips up. The waitress interrupted their conversation with a quiet apology, and the two women ordered quickly.

“So, you know what I do,” Alexa began when they were alone again. “What do you do for a living?”

“I’m certainly not some big city lawyer like you,” Nia said, a grin flickering over Alexa’s lips briefly in response. “Actually, I own my own business.” Alexa took a slow sip of her wine.

“Doing what?” she teased. “Those muscles of yours, construction maybe?” Nia snorted, and clapped a hand to her mouth in embarrassment. Alexa waited for her to continue, fingers playing absently with a strand of her hair.

“As much as I’m sure people expect me to be lifting tools, no,” Nia replied once she had gotten herself under control. “The muscles are from lifting children actually. I run my own childcare centre.” Nia left out the part where the muscles also came from the super strength, and the saving children from buses on bridges, and their own stupidity.

“That’s…certainly not what I expected,” Alexa confessed, her laughter musical. “Although somehow it seems to fit perfectly. You have very kind eyes.” Nia smiled, dropping her head to let her hair cover her face.

“Thank you,” she murmured, her eyes sparkling. “I have to admit, you’re not what I expected when Tamina said she found someone for me to date.” The waitress slid their food in front of them without a word.

“Expected someone taller?” Alexa asked, just a hint of bitterness in her voice. “Yeah, so do most of our clients, especially when they ask for our best. They’re not expecting to get ‘Five Feet of Fury’.” She grinned despite herself as Nia stopped, fork wrapped with pasta stopped halfway to her mouth.

“Wait…you’re the lawyer Tamina calls five feet of fury?” she asked in a rush, her blush returning full force as Alexa nodded. “Damn…” her voice trailed off as she looked at Alexa in a new light. Alexa tilted her head in confusion.

“Sorry, I just had a realisation,” Nia confessed. “Nothing bad.” Alexa hesitantly reached across the table, resting her hand over Nia’s in a gentle grip.

“I hope that we get a chance to get to know each other even better,” she said, her words slow and measured. “I don’t know about you, but I think this blind date might have broken the curse.” Nia smiled and turned her hand over, letting Alexa’s hand fall into her grip.

“I agree,” she said simply, squeezing Alexa’s hand with a smile.

* * *

 The next morning Nia showed up at her childcare centre to find Tamina leaning against the wall, two to-go cups of coffee in her hands.

“Soooo…?” her cousin asked, obviously prying for information. Nia rolled her eyes and unlocked the front door before she took her coffee.

“Did you seriously have to set me up with her?” Nia asked, leading the way inside. “She’s perfect Tamina. Too perfect.”

“Are you seriously already falling in love with her after one date?” Tamina teased, flicking on the light switch so she could see Nia properly.

“I’m not in _love_ ,” Nia argued. “Just…” she shrugged, unable to finish her sentence.

“I wouldn’t have set you two up together if I didn’t think there was a chance of something more,” Tamina said. She rested her forehead against Nia’s. “Alexa is a _good_ woman. She’s not going to turn out like Matthew.” Nia snorted, and wrapped her hand around Tamina’s bicep for support.

“Few people are like Matthew,” she corrected. “Even most insane people don’t inject their girlfriend with some sort of serum that turns her into a freak with super strength. And then complain when she breaks up with him because she doesn’t want to be tied to a guy who lies to her and injects her with dangerous, untested serums.”

“And few people are like you, who wants to help people so badly, that even though you hate that you have powers, you jump off buildings in the middle of the night and stop dumbass teenagers jumping to their deaths,” Tamina countered. Nia snorted again and pulled away.

“I’ll give her a chance,” she said finally. Once Tamina raised her eyebrow Nia quickly added, “I won’t sabotage it I swear.”

“Good,” Tamina said. She dropped a kiss on Nia’s forehead, despite the attempts from Nia to dodge it. “Be good baby cousin.” Nia batted at her cheek, and turned her back. She knew that there was no point watching Tamina walk away. Her cousin had gotten involved with the same group Matthew had been involved in – in fact she had met Matthew through Tamina, although that was a coincidence. While the serum that Nia had been injected with gave her super strength, and faster healing rates, Tamina had injected herself with a mystery serum, that turned out to give her teleportation powers. While the teleportation had become useful for Tamina, the fact that she had gotten Nia involved in what was essentially a superhero cult had been a source of serious distress for her. It was why Tamina tried so hard to set her up with someone she deemed worthy of Nia, because if Nia was happy then maybe Tamina could forgive herself for putting her family – however accidentally – in a position where they had been hurt. Nia sighed. Regardless of what was happening in her personal life, she still had a business to run, and children to look after. Alexa and Tamina would just have to wait.

* * *

“I have to say, I’m really glad you called me,” Alexa admitted, murmuring a thank you when Nia handed over her ice-cream cone. “I wasn’t sure you would.” Nia smiled and shyly took Alexa’s free hand, grinning when Alexa squeezed it.

“To be honest, I wasn’t sure I would either,” she confessed. “My last serious relationship…well he was mixed up with some bad stuff, tried to get me mixed up with it as well. I’m a bit gun shy you could say.” Alexa leaned into her, the warm presence against her side giving her comfort.

“We can go as slow as you like,” she offered. Nia smiled and bumped her gently, although it still moved Alexa.

“I don’t want to go slow with you though,” she said. “I know it sounds crazy but I feel like I can trust you. There’s something special about you.” It was Alexa’s turn to blush hearing those words, and Nia was suddenly struck by the uncontrollable urge to kiss her. So, she tugged on Alexa’s hand, and pulled her close, placing a quick and soft kiss on her lips. Alexa looked up at her when she pulled back, and let go of Nia’s hand to run it up her arm. Using what little leverage she had, Alexa pulled Nia into a much harder kiss. Nia responded eagerly, kissing back with as much passion as she could. This time when they pulled back, both their eyes were hooded and they were panting a little. Nia’s ice-cream cone had melted over her hand, and Alexa giggled when Nia licked it up. An old woman sitting on a bench nearby scoffed, and muttered to herself angrily, which only made Alexa laugh harder. Nia smiled and took Alexa’s hand again, and they resumed their walk through the park.

They had only gone a few steps when Nia stopped short, tugging Alexa’s hand as something caught her attention.

“Alexa, wait,” Nia said. Alexa hummed and turned to look at what Nia had seen. A blue banner fluttered over the duckpond, the wind catching it and making it dance. The reflection in the duck pond was what had caught Nia’s initial attention.

“Remember our first meeting Force? Tonight. 9 pm,” Alexa read aloud. She turned to Nia. “Think that means we should get out of the city to avoid the supervillain/superhero battle that’s coming?” Nia snorted and nodded to the end of the banner.

“The fact that there is a heart where she’s signed it, I think that it’s more likely that the supervillain has a crush on the superhero,” she said, tugging Alexa’s hand as she continued to walk. Alexa laughed and leant against Nia’s side.

“So, what, you think that this Pixie Princess has feelings suddenly for the hero who is trying to catch her?” she asked. “No, it’s much more likely to be the fact that she’s trying to eliminate the hero from the equation.” Nia laughed, and tried to internally stamp down the panic she suddenly felt at the thought. She knew she had to meet the Pixie that night, to not show would be admitting defeat, but she had to be cautious. There was no point rushing in without a plan, to do so would only inviting the Pixie to end her if that was her plan.

* * *

 “Fancy seeing you here,” Pixie Princess said, coming up behind Nia on the rooftop. Nia growled low in her throat, and turned around.

“Is this some sort of trap?” she asked, taking a step forward. “Because you made it pretty clear that you wanted to meet here.” The Pixie perched herself on the edge of a pitched section of the roof, fluffing her skirt out and settling it around her. She crossed her legs, bending the bottom one and setting the sparkly silver ballet shoe flat against the wall, the other bouncing freely to a beat only she could hear.

“No trap,” she said, a smile pulling teasingly at the corner of her lips. “Just wanted to talk to you for a change.” Nia took a step backwards and leant against the side of the roof access structure.

“Then talk,” she said, her tone challenging the Pixie. “Make it quick, I have other things to do tonight.”

“Let’s start with how you need a costume change,” she said. “The all black thing, it’s so last year in superhero outfits.” Nia pushed herself away from the wall and turned her back on the Pixie.

“I’m done,” she growled. She took a few running steps towards the edge of the roof.

“WAIT!” Nia slowed and turned around to find the Pixie standing behind her, her arms wrapped around herself and her head bowed.

“What. Do. You. WANT!” Nia barked, crossing the space between them with just a few steps. She placed her hands on the Pixie’s shoulders, fully intending to shake her.

“There’s a heist going down next week,” the Pixie confessed before she could follow through on the implied threat. “The Santini family. They’re planning on hitting the museum once the McMahon family donates their painting.” Nia knew what she was talking about. The McMahon family was one of the most prominent families in the city, and they owned many expensive and important paintings. They were planning to donate several of them to the city museum, that was a widely known fact this week.  Plenty of media attention meant that the painting was going to be a target from someone, and it would have to be after hours to avoid the excess security that the museum was hiring.

“Why are you even telling me this?” Nia asked, releasing the Pixie.

“Because the Santini family have a history of framing other people,” Pixie said. “And with the museum heist, I know there’s a good chance they’re going to frame me. I have the best reputation right now, and the police are starting to give up on ever catching me, so they are home free.” She paused and took a deep breath. “But the Santini family are also famous for killing people who stand in their way. More than half of their trials’ that make it to court are for murder, manslaughter, or assault. And…”

“And you don’t kill people,” Nia finished. Pixie nodded in agreement. “How do you know this?”

“I can’t give away my secrets,” Pixie countered. “Just know…the information is solid.” With those words, she turned and ran across to the next roof, coiling her rope just as she had the first night Nia had met her. Nia stared after her. She couldn’t help but wonder why the Pixie had come to her, and why she had thought Nia would trust her. At the same time, Nia couldn’t help but wonder why she felt inclined to trust the Pixie Princess, given that she was the one who was plaguing her city with crime and robbery. Maybe it was because the Pixie was a villain with morals. With a sigh, Nia decided to give up the confusing thought for the night and go stop crime from annoying her city even more than it had.

* * *

 "What do you know about the Santini family?” Tamina’s gaze flickered to the side as she exited her apartment building.

“Traditionally a conversation begins with a greeting and an uninterested inquiry into how the other person is,” she commented as she descended the steps to the street. Nia pushed herself away from the wall and followed close behind her.

“Hello Tamina, how are you, what do you know about the Santini family?” she repeated. Tamina sighed and slowed her pace, allowing Nia to fall into step with her.

“You know our firm doesn’t deal with the underbelly of the world,” she said, sparing a glance at Nia’s face. “We have never, and will never, deal with the Santini family.”

“C’mon Tamina, you have to know something,” Nia said, her hand grasping her cousin’s wrist and dragging her into a nearby alley. “Please, it’s important.” Tamina sighed and raised her eyes to the sky.

“All I know about the Santini family is that they’re dangerous, and you should stay the hell away from them,” she said. “Really. They don’t even bother to come by our firm anymore, because we just call the cops on them. We don’t want anything to do with them, and most of that is thanks to Alexa.”

“Alexa?” Nia asked, tilting her head sidewards. “What does Alexa have to do with them?”

“Her last law firm wasn’t quite as…shall we say…discriminating as ours,” Tamina informed her. “We offered her a position with our firm because she was the best at what she does, she accepted because we screen our damn clients.” She shook her head and stepped away from Nia, closer to the street again.

“If this has anything to do with the little love note in the park, stay the hell away from it,” she advised. “And that’s not the lawyer talking, that’s your cousin talking here Nia. All Alexa will tell us is that the Santini family are dangerous, and aren’t above framing people to get what they want. I don’t want you to get hurt, you’re not bullet or knife-proof. Call the police, let them deal with it.”

“I just…I wanted…I don’t know what I wanted,” Nia said. “I’ll let the cops deal with the Santini’s. I promise.” Tamina nodded and gave Nia a grim smile, before she stepped out onto the street without another word. Nia allowed herself another minute before she followed her, mentally planning how she was going to contact the police that night even as she blended in with the crowd, all of them on their own way to work in the early morning.

* * *

Naturally, the night the Santini family made their move was the night Nia had finally worked up the courage to invite Alexa over to her apartment for dinner. Alexa had brought over a bottle of wine, and they had opened it early in the night. Alexa had teased Nia for her amateur wrestling trophies, and Nia had playfully pinned Alexa on the couch while they waited for dinner to finish in the oven. More wine was drunk alongside the pasta bake and homemade garlic bread, and alongside Nia’s enjoyment of Alexa’s pornographic moans as she enjoyed the food.

Dinner was eaten, the wine was drunk. Nia was lounging on the couch, Alexa was on the floor in front of the television. Between them they were trying to decide on a movie to watch, except Alexa was too busy making fun of Nia’s DVD collection.

“We interrupt this program for a special announcement.” Both of their attention went straight to the television. The reporter was a young woman standing in front of the museum, a sombre expression on her face, and Nia’s heart started to sink.

“Several members of the Santini family were caught tonight attempting to make off with the newest additions to the city museum. After the high-profile donations from Vince McMahon and his family, it appears that the Santini family could not resist. They broke into the museum tonight and were caught red-handed by the police team who were in wait for the criminals.” The scene cut to the inside of the museum, a series of still camera shots being collaged on the screen.

“As you can see from the images in front of you, the floor is covered with the silver glitter that is symbolic of the Pixie Princess.” The silence in Nia’s living room was cut with the sharp inhale of air that came from Alexa. “We have reason to believe that she may have been involved in the robbery.” The scene cut back to the reporter, as an ambulance, sirens and lights blazing, flew past her.

“As you just saw, there were injuries suffered here tonight. A security guard was shot in the stomach, and several police officers were injured in the process of apprehending the criminals. It appears that the security guard will survive thanks to the quick action of his partner, however if the Pixie Princess was involved in tonight’s crime, then it may be a sign that her morals are slipping and that she is becoming more dangerous. Tonight, more than ever, it is imperative that you call the tip line that is set up for the apprehension of the Pixie Princess if you have information on her identity or location. We will bring you more information as it becomes known.” Alexa’s hand shot out and turned the television off. Nia rose from the couch silently and sat next to her on the floor, resting her hand on Alexa’s thigh.

“Tamina mentioned that you had dealings with the Santini family at your last firm,” she said quietly. “Do you think they’re the type of people to get involved with the Pixie Princess?”

“No,” Alexa stated, as quiet as Nia but still firm. “Getting involved with her means that they would have to share the take with someone outside the family. They wouldn’t risk that. They would however frame her if they thought it might help them avoid prison time.” Nia nodded and they sat on the floor for several long minutes before Alexa finally climbed to her feet.

“Raincheck on that movie?” she asked. “The McMahon family are on retainer with our firm, and something tells me we’re going to have to talk them out of a lawsuit in the morning.” Nia smiled and nodded.

“Of course,” she said, standing as well. “Let me know you got home safe?” Alexa tilted her head up and Nia claimed her lips in a soft kiss, cupping Alexa’s cheeks in her hands.

“Thanks for dinner,” Alexa murmured against Nia’s mouth, obviously reluctant to pull back.

“Thanks for coming over,” Nia murmured back. Alexa finally pulled back and walked backwards towards the door, stalling for time.

“I’ll call you tomorrow?” she said, hesitant. Nia nodded and smiled at her.

“Deal,” she agreed. Alexa closed the door behind her after grabbing her keys off the side table, and Nia sunk down onto her couch. She couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe Alexa was connected to Pixie Princess in some way. Something in her was saying that Alexa knew more than just information about the Santini family. Nia was tempted to go out as Force that night, but knew that she was running the risk of more danger than usual if people were particularly tempted to hunt down Pixie or herself. With a sigh she headed towards bed, making the decision to prove to Tamina that she was taking her safety seriously instead.

* * *

 For each of the next few nights Nia waited on the rooftop where she met with the Pixie, hoping that she would show up, hoping that she would come to defend her innocence. Her efforts were in vain.

Her efforts to contact Alexa were just as much in vain. The first day Nia could get hurried text messages back, but after that Alexa ignored her calls, and didn’t text back. By talking to Tamina she learnt that Alexa was ok, but burying herself in work.

A week after the break-in, Nia was fed up with the lack of communication. Just after her childcare centre had closed for the evening, she picked up the order of Chinese she had ordered earlier and walked the two blocks to the lawyer’s office. Recognised by the security guards as Tamina’s cousin, Nia was let straight up. She waved to her cousin as she walked by the office, and Tamina pointed towards the end of the hall, knowing who she was truly there to see. Alexa was on the phone when Nia knocked quietly on her open door, yet gave Nia a tired smile and waved her inside. Nia took a seat in silence, and waited patiently, until Alexa said her goodbyes and hung up the phone.

“Hi,” she said softly.

“Hi,” Nia replied. She held up the bag of take-out. “I brought dinner.”

“You are my hero,” Alexa said. “I haven’t eaten all day.” Nia set out the food quickly and offered Alexa a pair of chopsticks without a word.

“You’ve been kind of quiet lately,” she said. “I got worried.” Alexa swallowed the bit of food she had just taken and put her chopsticks down.

“I get engrossed in my work sometimes,” she confessed, lowering her gaze to stare at her desk. “I’ve been told its one of my less endearing qualities in a relationship.” Nia put her own chopsticks down as well, recognising that she was suddenly standing on shaky ground and would have to tread carefully. Alexa lifted her head, unshed tears starting to glitter in her eyes.

“I really am working late when I say,” Alexa continued. “Despite what I’ve been accused of over the years, I’m not a cheater.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” Nia said softly. “It’s not a criticism. Like I said, I got worried. And Tamina said that you had been working hard lately, so I thought I would surprise you. I wasn’t checking up on you.” Alexa nodded, although it was clear she was having trouble believing Nia.

“Why don’t we pack this up and take it back to my place,” Nia said, decision made. “You need to get out of this office. And it’s Saturday tomorrow so maybe…you might like to stay the night?” She bit her lip, hoping that she wasn’t being too presumptuous. Alexa smiled, her first one since Nia had entered the office that made it to her eyes, and nodded.

“I would really like that,” she agreed. “Let me just pack up?” Nia started to pack the food away as Alexa began to pack her belongings. She reached up and removed the pen from her hair, the blonde tresses falling in loose waves to her mid back.

“Are those blue tips?” Nia asked, amusement clear in her voice. Alexa laughed and turned to face her, sweeping her hair over her left shoulder.

“Not what you expected?” she asked, lightness and teasing coming back to her voice at the imminent prospect of leaving the office building. Nia shook her head.

“Aren’t there rules or regulations about that sort of thing?” she asked, taking Alexa’s bag, and slinging it over her own shoulder, and picking up the bag of takeout as Alexa shrugged her jacket on.

“As long as I keep it hidden around clients, no one really cares,” Alexa admitted, holding her hand out for her bag and blushing when Nia took hold of it instead. “It’s my last holdout against going completely corporate.” She led Nia out by the hand, knocking a farewell on Tamina’s office window as they passed on the way to the elevator. They were quiet on the way down the elevator until the headed out onto the street.

“It suits you,” Nia said finally, swinging their joined hands as the headed towards her apartment. “Having something different and unique about you I mean.” Alexa smiled and bumped Nia’s hip with hers.

“I’m getting a bit sick of the blue to be honest,” she said. “I’m thinking of trying red or pink next. Something a bit milder, but that still makes an impact.” Nia grinned and turned them down the street to her apartment.

“I’m sure that whatever you choose will be just as stunning as the blue,” she agreed. “Although if you go pink, I might have to call you the Bubble-gum Princess, not Five Feet of Fury.” Alexa laughed and swatted Nia with her free hand, letting go of her after a moment so that Nia could retrieve her keys to let them into the lobby of the building.

“Won’t you please let me take my bag,” Alexa said, reaching for it to lighten Nia’s load. Nia dodged her hand and slid her keys into the front door.

“I’ve got it,” she protested. “Besides, you haven’t caught onto my dastardly plan yet.” Alexa laughed and darted ahead to push the button for the elevator, waiting against the wall.

“What dastardly plan?” she asked, curious as to what Nia had in store.

“I’m going to hide your bag out of your reach so that you can’t leave before I’m ready,” Nia insisted, gratified when Alexa bent over from the force of her laughter instead of being offended or creeped out.

“Already up to the short jokes,” Alexa force out through her laughter. She calmed herself by the time the elevator reached Nia’s floor and followed the other woman towards her apartment.

“It’s not my fault,” Nia said, her face only a little apologetic. “Tamina keeps sending me messages regarding the height difference.”

“Ah yes, I think she sent me a few too,” Alexa agreed. “The most prominent that springs to mind involved a pretty graphic description of how I could – and I’m quoting here mind you – climb you like a tree.” Nia snorted and leant against her front door.

“You got the mild ones,” she said. “Mine were what she called ‘instructional videos’ on how I could fuck you.” Alexa fell against the wall laughing, tears running down her cheeks from the force of her amusement.

“She sent you porn didn’t she,” she laughed, her words more a statement than a question.

“Well I never!” Nia glanced up to see the door at the end of the hall snap close, the sound echoing throughout the narrow space.

“I know you never mind your own business, nice of you to finally agree you nosy old bat!” Nia yelled, the sudden sound causing Alexa to quell her mirth quickly.

“What…?” she asked in confusion, Nia shaking her head as she turned her attention to unlocking her front door.

“Just Mrs Turner down the hall,” she said, waving off Alexa’s concern. “I’ve lived here three years, and I can count on one hand with fingers left over the amount of times she’s minded her own business. You’d better stay the night now, one time I brought someone home this late at night she was waiting in the lobby with a camera, and covered the lobby in posters of my ‘date’.” She used her free hand to make the hand movements signalling the inverted commas after she had pushed the door open.

“How long ago was this?” Alexa asked, trying to act nonchalant despite the sudden flare of jealousy even as she murmured a quiet thankyou as Nia motioned her into the apartment.

“Just after I first moved in,” Nia answered, closing, and locking the door firmly behind her. “Too bad for her, it was just one of my cousins sleeping on my couch.” Alexa giggled and slid her jacket off, draping it over the arm of the couch. Nia motioned with her head towards the bedroom, dropping the bag of takeout on the coffee table as she did so.

“Feel free to grab anything of mine if you want to change,” she said. “Of course, anything of mine will be much too big, but I’m sure a smart lady like you can figure out how to rig something up.”

“You mean short lady don’t you,” Alexa teased, already walking backwards down the apartments hall. “I’ll be right back.” Nia busied herself with setting out plates and food, gathering drinks before she settled down on the couch.

“Why do you have to be so tall,” Alexa complained, coming out into the living room. Nia turned to see that she had shed her skirt and heels, and stood in her footless tights and an old college sweatshirt of Nia’s. The sleeves were only a touch too long, but Alexa was dwarfed inside the torso.

“You look adorable,” Nia said, stifling her immediate feeling to start laughing. Alexa huffed anyway and slunk down onto the couch, tucking her feet under Nia’s thigh and leaning forward to steal food from Nia’s plate.

“Not another word,” she said, picking at a loose thread on her tights. Nia smiled and handed over her plate altogether. They ate in silence for a while before Alexa spoke.

“You were actually just worried weren’t you,” she said, the words a statement instead of the question it should have been.

“Of course,” Nia said. “We go from talking almost daily, to barely talking for a week? Why wouldn’t I be worried about you?”

“We haven’t even slept together yet,” Alexa said, picking at her food.

“Alexa,” Nia said simply. She waited for Alexa to meet her eyes. “I’m not denying that you’re gorgeous, I think I made that embarrassingly clear the first time we met. However, that’s certainly not the only reason that I like you. You’re smart, you’re funny, and I enjoy spending time with you.” A pink flush was spreading slowly over Alexa’s cheeks, and she had her bottom lip between her teeth.

“We agreed that we would go slow,” Nia continued. “I don’t need to sleep with you to like you, to worry about you, to want to be with you.” Her words were cut off when Alexa lunged forward, her arms going around Nia’s neck and their mouths connecting. Nia tilted her head and rested her hands against Alexa’s lower black, pulling her closer. Alexa moaned and Nia took advantage of the sound to slip her tongue into her mouth.

“Fuck Lex,” she groaned, never lifting her mouth. “This wasn’t what I...”

“I know, shut up,” Alexa replied, pulling back for only a moment to strip the borrowed sweatshirt over her head. She threw it across the room, and Nia lowered her head to the newly bared skin. She nipped at Alexa’s collarbone, and Alexa’s hands slid into her hair from being draped around her neck. She put the barest minimum of pressure on Nia’s head, using her grip instead to anchor herself. Nia kissed down her collarbone, until she got to a point where her goal was too far down for her to easily bend. Nia moved her hands to Alexa’s ass, and used the grip to encourage Alexa to rise to her knees until she was straddling Nia’s lap, and resumed her kissing and nipping along the tops of Alexa’s breasts. Alexa moaned and threw her head back, leaning back into Nia’s grip. She released her grip on Nia’s hair for a moment to unclasp her bra, throwing it across the room with the sweatshirt, then arched her back. Nia took the hint and latched on to Alexa’s nipple, grazing her teeth over the nub with the barest amount of pressure she could manage. Alexa moaned loudly, and clutched her fingers in Nia’s hair tightly. Nia groaned and switched her mouth to her other breast, flicking her tongue over the nipple until Alexa’s grip lessened, lulled by the sense of false security, and then nipped. Alexa buckled, and it was only Nia’s hands on her ass that kept her upright on Nia’s lap.

“It’s not fair…” Alexa panted, a low moan breaking her words as Nia tugged gently on her nipple with her teeth. “That you still have clothes.” Nia pulled her head away and dragged her shirt over her head, shucking the tank top she wore beneath the shirt at the same time. Alexa brought her hands up, hesitating before she touched the caramel skin before her. Nia unclipped the front fastening of her bra, dropping it on the couch behind her, and took Alexa’s hands in hers. She placed Alexa’s hands on her chest, and leant in for a kiss. Alexa battled her for dominance, but gave in before long in favour of focusing on tweaking Nia’s nipples with her fingers.

“You’re gorgeous,” she murmured against Nia’s lips, clearly drinking in the quick gasp she earnt when she raked her nails over Nia’s chest.

“Gotta be if I want a stunner like you to stick around,” Nia murmured back. She was a rewarded with Alexa straddling her thigh, and grinding down. The thin layer of Alexa’s tights, and the rough fabric of Nia’s jeans were all that separated them, and Nia revelled in the whimper that Alexa let out. She moved her hands from Alexa’s ass and rested them on her back instead.

“Does that feel good?” she asked, her voice low and husky. Alexa whimpered again and let her forehead fall against Nia’s shoulder.

“Get yourself off on my thigh like a good girl and I’ll take you to the bedroom,” Nia promised. “I’m going to make you cum so hard that the only thing you’ll remember will be my name.” Alexa moaned and ground her hips down. Nia tensed the muscles in her thigh and returned her mouth to Alexa’s breast, tugging at her nipple with her teeth. It didn’t take long before Alexa tensed, her head thrown back, and her mouth open, caught on a moan. Nia barely let her recover any before she got to her feet, Alexa’s legs wrapped around her waist, and walked towards the bedroom. Alexa grasped Nia’s shoulders, and pressed hot kisses to the side of her neck as she walked. Nia nudged the door wider with her foot, and stepped inside. Alexa found herself dropped on the bed, her protest dying in her throat as she watched Nia shove her jeans and underwear to her ankles, stepping out of them completely naked.

“Gorgeous,” she breathed. A predatory grin spread over Nia’s mouth, and she crawled up the bed to hover over Alexa. She slid the black tights down Alexa’s legs, not surprised to see the lack of panties. Alexa blushed anyway, suddenly feeling self conscious.

“They left a panty line,” she argued, Nia laughing at her. Alexa hid her face with her hands, only to let out a surprised shout when she felt Nia’s breathing on the insides of her thighs. Nia nipped up one sensitive inner thigh, and then down the other, leaving a trail of love bites behind. Alexa groaned and crossed her legs at the ankles behind Nia’s head, digging her heels into her upper back in an attempt to make Nia move closer to where she was needed. Nia ignored the urging, and took her time. When she was ready, she licked one long stripe, top to bottom, before focusing on Alexa’s clit. Worked up as she was, it didn’t take long for Alexa to cum a second time, her thighs tensing around Nia’s head. Nia spared a glance upwards, appreciating the aesthetic of Alexa with her head tilted back, her hands fisted in the blankets beneath her. A pale red flush was spread across her cheeks, and dusted the top of her chest, contrasting with the blonde hair and blue tips spread across the pillow and over her shoulders. Her back was arched, and her mouth was open in a silent scream. Nia grinned wickedly and she slid two fingers into Alexa’s cunt, alternating the pressure on her clit between soft licking and grazing her teeth over it.

“Nia…oh god…please…” Alexa begged, her words falling into incoherent babbling as Nia worked her towards a third orgasm for the night. The tremors blended into one another, Nia not letting up until Alexa’s hand found its way into her hair and tugged her up. Nia went willingly, and let herself be drawn into a sloppy kiss, even as Alexa was trying desperately to regain control over her shaking muscles.

“Gimme a second,” Alexa begged, not quite able to catch her breath. “I’ll return the favour just…as soon as I can move.”

“Well…there is something you could do without moving…” Nia hedged, straddling Alexa’s hips. Alexa’s eyes widened as she caught on to what Nia said, and nodded rapidly.

“Are you sure?” Nia asked. “I mean I don’t want to hurt you or anything…”

“Please Nia,” Alexa begged. “Sit on my face.” It was Nia’s turn to blush as she crawled up Alexa’s body, positioning herself with a knee on each side of her head and a hand on the headboard to steady herself. Alexa rested her hands on top of Nia’s thighs and applied the lightest of pressure to encourage her to lower her hips. Nia groaned at the first touch of Alexa’s tongue, Alexa opting to tease her with light, barely there touches against her pussy.

“Alexa please,” she moaned. Alexa took pity on her and applied more force, using her hands to spread Nia’s lips so she could get her tongue deeper. Her thumb was pressed snug up against Nia’s clit, applying constant pressure, and Nia couldn’t hold back the noises any longer. Her thighs trembled with the effort it took to keep her above Alexa’s head, and she felt the wooden headboard splintering under her enhanced grip. She forced herself to let go of the wood, instead placing both hands flat on the wall in front of her. Alexa ran the edge of her fingernail across Nia’s clit, and she couldn’t hold back anymore. Her hands clenched against the wall, and she came with a scream. Alexa never let the pressure on her clit go, and the first rolled into a second. Nia slapped the wall and dimly registered the plaster giving way, but couldn’t find it in herself to care. Alexa moved her hands and ran them along Nia’s thighs, as she rode out her orgasm. Nia hovered above Alexa’s face for a few moments, then rolled to the side as her thighs finally gave out.

“Did you just break the headboard and the wall?” Alexa asked, amazement in her voice.

“Shhhhhhh,” Nia whispered, her voice hoarse from the scream Alexa had wrung out of her. She pulled Alexa close, and tucked her under one arm. “Naptime.” Alexa giggled and curled into Nia, her head resting just under Nia’s chin.

“Night,” she whispered, wiggling in Nia’s grip just to hear the groan, and feel the iron grip clamping down on her hip.

“Sleep,” Nia commanded, and Alexa closed her eyes and obeyed.

* * *

The next morning, Nia woke up first, something in her face tickling her nose. She cracked one eye open, and was met with several tendrils of blonde hair in front of her. Slowly, the night before came back to her. Meeting Alexa at work, bringing her back to have dinner, sex on the couch before they moved to the bedroom. Nia rolled out of bed, taking care not to disturb Alexa, and pulled on a pair of yoga pants and an old t-shirt that were slung over the back of a chair, before she made her way out to the kitchen. She pulled her hair back into a sloppy bun before she bent and began to pull bowls and pans out of the cupboards. Nia already had a stack of pancakes on a plate beside the stove by the time she felt arms slide around her waist and Alexa nuzzle into the back of her shoulder.

“I was going to bring it to you in bed,” Nia said, dropping the last of the pancake batter in the pan. She stretched to slide the bowl into the sink, and half turned to wrap an arm around Alexa’s shoulders.

“House rule, clothes in the kitchen,” she grunted, giving Alexa’s shoulder a light shove. Alexa made a show of grumbling as she walked out of the kitchen to pick up the discarded sweatshirt from the previous night, sliding it over her head before she walked back to Nia. She paused just outside the kitchen and posed, doing a full circle turn.

“Happy?” she asked. Nia just laughed, flipped the last pancake, and pulled Alexa into a hard kiss.

That night, after Alexa had headed home, Nia went out as Force, only with one key difference. In addition of just her plain black outfit, she had added a sash of teal blue tied in a complicated knot around her hips. Instead of her hair being loose as per normal, she had braided it, and let it fall to the side, and added a small teal blue bow to the end of that as well. After spending the night and day with Alexa, Nia was in a mood to be giving and trusting. She could only hope that the Pixie saw her at some point, and understood the message she was trying to send. During her patrol that night, she managed to stop three robberies, and a domestic violence incident in progress. Just as she was starting to think of heading home, she heard of a jumper standing on the bridge. The news footage was showing on a nearby television, and Nia couldn’t stifle her groan when she realised that it was the same kid who had made her late to her first date with Alexa. She took off running, heading for the edge of town even as she knew she probably wasn’t going to make it in time.

To her surprise, there was already someone else there by the time she made it to the bridge. The Pixie Princess was perched next to him, talking calmly to the teenager. He was clinging to the bridge, his eyes screwed shut, and he was shaking. Nia walked forward slowly, careful not to spook either the kid or the Pixie.

“Trust me, I know a little something about being scared,” she heard as she got within earshot. “You try finally finding the perfect woman after a lifetime of searching and being unlucky in love, then falling completely in love with her, and not knowing if it’s going to work out.” The teenager gave a choked off laugh, and clutched the bridge tighter.

“That’s not quite the same as what I’m going through,” he argued.

“But see, I’m not the hero in this story,” Pixie countered. “I’m not the one who comes in and saves you and makes everything better. For one, I’m the villain who likes to steal from the rich.” She shrugged a delicate shoulder at that statement.

“For another, you’re the hero of your story,” she continued, her voice suddenly softer. “People around you can help you, but we can’t save you unless you are willing to put the work in.” Nia made it to the edge of the bridge and stood in silence, listening closely. The police officers surrounding the bridge settled down, having her so close to the situation. The teen nodded finally, and went to climb back to safety, when suddenly he slipped and fell with a scream. Nia’s hand lashed out too slowly to catch him, and the police force behind her erupted into chaos. The Pixie Princess however just stood bored, and looked over the railing of the bridge.

“Take note young one, bridges are slippery with few hand holds,” she called down. “Therefore, we don’t stand on bridges.” Nia raised an eyebrow and leant over the edge to see him dangling not too far below the bridge, suspended by a silvery rope tied to a bridge strut and looped around his ankle.

She stepped over the railing, and grasped the rope with one hand. She hoisted the teenager up, pulling him back to the bridge and depositing him on the safe side of the railing. Pixie detached her rope from around his waist and the strut, and started coiling it as Nia watched over her.

“Back off,” she barked, pointing at a stealthy police officer as he got too close. “She just saved the kids life, the least we can do is not arrest her for it.”

“But ma’am, the Santini…” he trailed off and took a step back as Nia turned the full force of her glare on him.

“Thief, not murderer,” she snapped. “Again, she just _saved the kids life_.”

“Love the splash of colour,” the Pixie replied with a wink, before she leapt the railing herself and darted off, pausing only to slip something into the kid’s hand. Nia watched her go, waiting for her to be out of sight, before she left in the opposite direction.

* * *

Nia locked the door to her childcare centre the next night, and turned around to find Alexa waiting silently for her.

“Hey there gorgeous,” she greeted, leaning down. Alexa tilted her head up and let her steal a kiss, curling an arm around Nia’s shoulder as if doing so could prolong the contact. Nia slung her work bag over her shoulder, and took Alexa’s hand.

“Have you heard the news today?” Alexa asked, visibly excited, almost bouncing in place.

“I have been informed by a very reliable source that a conversation usually begins with a greeting and an uninterested inquiry into how someone is,” Nia teased. Alexa slapped Nia’s arm with her free hand and glared at her.

“Your cousin sends you porn, she is not a reliable source,” she retorted. “And you didn’t answer my question.”

“Unless the news is about what Senator Bunny is doing today, or what scandal is happening in the block corner, no I haven’t,” Nia replied, a smile pulling at her lips. “Why don’t you enlighten me?”

“The Pixie Princess is no longer wanted regarding the museum theft,” Alexa said, the words almost exploding out of her. “Apparently, there was an incident on the bridge last night. The Pixie saved some kids life, then Force showed up and stood up for her. The cameras from the area surrounding the museum had their footage finally checked, and the traffic camera on the corner points right into one of the museum windows. They enhanced the footage, and got a shot of one of the Santini brothers throwing glitter around the room where it was found.” Nia couldn’t help the grin that spread over her lips, and she wrapped an arm around Alexa’s shoulder, and pulled Alexa close.

“That’s amazing,” she agreed. Alexa curled into Nia’s side and beamed. Nia couldn’t help but go back to what she had thought the last time she spoke to Tamina about the Santini case. Alexa obviously had some connection to the Pixie Princess, the way she spoke about her proved that. Instead of putting Nia off however, it only made her more convinced of the Pixies innocence. Alexa wouldn’t be involved with someone willingly who was evil, or without morals. The renewed conviction made her determination to befriend the Pixie and stop her thievery that much stronger.

* * *

“Hear the news?” Nia smiled and turned around. Two weeks later, and Pixie had been completely cleared in the Santini case. The camera footage had let the prosecutors convict all three members of the Santini family on all charges, and sentencing was due to be handed down the next morning.

“Guilty on all counts,” she replied, smiling at the Pixie who had dropped in on what she tended to think of as their rooftop. “It’s great news.” The Pixie joined her sitting on the side of the roof, her legs dangling over. They sat in silence for a few minutes.

“The splash of colour suits you,” the Pixie commented finally. “And it must be nice to not have to fight with your hair all the time.” Nia laughed and nodded.

“Yes, although the hair is mostly my girlfriend liking to play with it,” she said, touching the small braids woven into her dark waves. The Pixie froze, and looked her over carefully unnoticed by Nia.

“It’s nice to not have to chase you down for committing crimes,” Nia continued, looking out over the city. “Maybe we could join up sometime and chase down some of the pests.” She turned to the Pixie, but no one was there. Nia glanced around the rooftop, but didn’t see either the silver sparkle or the flash of blue that accompanied the Pixie appearing or leaving. She shrugged and pushed herself to her feet, and headed out to patrol for the night.

* * *

 “I’m sorry miss, but Ms Bliss has said that she doesn’t want you to come up.”

“What?” Nia asked, staring at the doorman.

“Ms Bliss has left orders that you aren’t to be allowed up,” he replied.

“Today?” Nia questioned, her confusion causing single syllable words to fall from her mouth.

“Ever,” he replied. “I’m very sorry.” Nia turned and walked away, her body on auto pilot. She had gone to drop in on Alexa, hoping to drag her to lunch and instead she had essentially been barred from seeing her girlfriend. She tried calling, but it went straight to voicemail. Messages went unanswered. When Tamina found her, she was sitting in the middle of the local park, her phone long run out of battery, staring at the pond in front of her.

“Nia, thank god,” Tamina replied, resting a hand on her shoulder. Nia didn’t answer, her chin resting on her knee. “Nia?”

“I think…” Nia began, before she trailed off, moving her head to rest her cheek on her knee instead, facing away from Tamina.

“Nia? Honey what’s wrong?” Tamina asked, sitting down next to her.

“I think Alexa left me,” Nia said, her voice cracking on the last word. Tamina wrapped her arms around Nia’s shoulders, and held her as she cried.

* * *

 After a week, Nia was even more sure of the fact that she had been dumped. Alexa wouldn’t return her phone calls, or her messages. Tamina refused to play the middleman, and Nia refused to force the issue. And she couldn’t drop in on her anymore, the doorman at both her office and her apartment was under strict orders to not let her in. A week went by, then two, every day of rejection chipping away at her spirit.

Saturday was day 15 of the Alexa imposed silence. It was cold and rainy outside, and Nia was fully prepared to spend the day in bed alone.

“Leave me alone Tamina,” she said, her words muffled by the pillow she had shoved her face in. Tamina didn’t answer, just silently ran her fingers through Nia’s hair, untangling the knots she found.

“Mina,” Nia whined, turning her head to the side and batting at her cousin ineffectively. “Stop.”

“You know I’m not leaving alone baby,” Tamina replied, her voice soft and gentle. “I watched you fall down the hole on your own after Matthew, I can’t watch that again.” Nia was silent, her arms tucked under her pillow.

“Why wasn’t I good enough Mina?” she asked, her voice trembling. “I thought she was different. I thought we had something. You SAID she was different.” Tamina started weaving Nia’s hair into a loose braid.

“I know I did,” she admitted. “I thought she was better than this.” Abandoning the braid, she lay down facing Nia, and Nia shuffled closer until their foreheads were touching.

“I hate you,” Nia whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks despite how tightly her eyes were squeezed shut. “I hate that you found someone perfect, and made me give her a chance. I hate that you won’t leave me to wallow in misery in peace. Why did you have to get the cool teleportation powers, and I got the super strength.” Tamina ran her hand up and down Nia’s arm, keeping her touch intentionally light.

“You’re so strong,” she said, her voice still gentle. “Not just physically, but emotionally. You’ve dealt with things that no one would ever believe Nia. You’re a goddamn superhero. I know that it’s a shitty thing what Alexa is doing. But you are strong enough to get through this. You are strong enough to survive this.” She fell silent, and Nia let the words fall over her like a favourite blanket. Never had she doubted Tamina, never had she been steered wrong by her older cousin. So instead of arguing, she did what she always did. She trusted Tamina, closed her eyes and let the soft movement and pressure of Tamina’s hand on her arm lull her to sleep.

When Nia woke up, she was alone. She checked her phone out of habit, and saw the message from Tamina promising to be back later. Nia rolled out of bed, and ran her fingers through her hair on the way to the kitchen. Her path was halted when she saw a bedraggled Pixie sitting on the kitchen counter.

“What…what are you doing here?” she asked, taking a step backwards. “I don’t…”

“Drop the act, I know it’s you,” the Pixie said. She shivered and Nia sighed, disappearing into the bathroom for a moment before coming back with a towel. She threw it to the Pixie from across the room, not willing to get too close.

“What do you want?” she asked. “Its awful weather to be breaking and entering.” The Pixie draped the towel around her shoulders, and reached up to her face. She pulled the mask off and cradled it in her hands, her hair hiding her face.

“You just broke into my house, I think I deserve an answer,” Nia snapped. Pixie looked up, and suddenly Nia was looking at Alexa.

“I needed to see you,” she replied, her voice cracking on the last word. “I’m sorry that I cut off contact with you but…Nia you have to understand…”

“You’re the Pixie,” Nia asked, her voice blank. “You’re the Pixie Princess, who has been stealing for months from various establishments in the city.”

“Yeah,” Alexa said, the fight going out of her with that one word. Nia sat on the floor, her knees going out from underneath her.

“Nia…” Alexa began, halting when Nia held her hand up.

“Just…give me a minute,” she said, covering her face with her hands. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Nia couldn’t help it and started to laugh.

“Are you ok?” Alexa asked. Nia raised her head and shrugged.

“You have to admit it’s funny,” she said, her laughter dying off. “The city’s superhero and its supervillain. Dating.”

“Are we still…?” Alexa asked, her question trailing off. Nia leant back against the wall, and looked at the roof.

“I want to,” she said. “But then, that was never in question was it. The only question was whether you wanted to or not. You were the one who cut off contact.” Alexa drew the towel closer to her body, and Nia motioned at the doorway behind her.

“Stop creating a puddle on my kitchen counter, and go change,” Nia said. “I think there’s some of your clothes on the dresser.” Alexa slid off the counter and walked into the bedroom. She paused by Nia briefly, and Nia squeezed her ankle gently in support before she continued through the apartment. Nia stayed on the floor for a minute before she forced herself to her feet, and to the kitchen. She threw a clean dishtowel over the puddle on the counter, and started to make them both hot cocoa. By the time Alexa came out of the bedroom, clad in yoga pants and one of Nia’s sweatshirts, Nia was sitting on the couch, one mug of hot cocoa clasped between her hands, and a second on the table before the couch. Alexa took a seat next to Nia, and tucked her bare feet under her.

“Nia…” she started.

“You had your chance to speak, and instead you shut me out. Let me speak this time,” Nia said, her words careful and measured. Alexa trailed off and waited expectantly.

“You just cut off contact with me,” Nia continued. “That really hurt Alexa. Obviously, you figured out my other identity, but you should have talked to me. You can’t…you can’t just up and run when you get scared.”

“I know,” Alexa replied. “I screwed up. Running is my thing. I can’t promise that I won’t try run in the future, but I can promise to try and talk to you more.” She reached out and took Nia’s hand in hers.

“You’re a pretty good reason to stop running though,” she confessed. Nia ran her thumb over the back of Alexa’s hand, wordlessly offering her strength.

“I don’t keep any of the money,” Alexa admitted. “I only target people and places that are screwing other people out of their money, that are screwing people out of something that they deserve. Every cent I take, it goes to where it should be.”

“Vigilante, not villain,” Nia said, a smile pulling at the corner of her lips. Alexa smiled back at her and curled up against Nia’s side.

“Shouldn’t you be angrier?” Alexa asked, looking up at Nia. “I mean, I am the pain in your ass that you’ve been chasing for the last months.”

“Honestly, I kind of figured you had something to do with the Pixie,” Nia admitted. “I thought maybe you were an informant or something. Way I figure it, you actually being the Pixie isn’t that big of a step.”

“And you weren’t angry that I hadn’t told you, or that I was helping your enemy?” Alexa asked, tilting her head. Nia shrugged.

“If you were helping her, figured she couldn’t be all bad,” she replied. Alexa lowered her gaze.

“You had such faith,” she whispered. “And I…I had none in you to not end this as soon as you found out.”

“We’ve both had bad experiences,” Nia said gently. “I mean, think of how I got my powers.” Alexa looked up at her expectantly and Nia realised that she would have to share the story. She took a deep breath in, and exhaled slowly.

“You don’t have to…” Alexa began, realising that it was a bigger deal than she thought.

“I’ve only told this story once,” Nia interrupted, suddenly getting a wave of courage. “It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just…” She looked down and clasped her mug with both hands.

“Tamina introduced me to this guy,” she said, very deliberately not making eye contact. “She knows I’m not particularly interested, but something about him made her think that we might hit it off. She was right as it turned out. Matthew and I, we dated for just over 8 months. We were talking about moving in with each other, talking about the future. What we didn’t talk about was his friends.” She trailed off and Alexa waited patiently.

“He was part of some sort of cult,” Nia continued after a moment. “They all wanted to be superheros, and knew some chemists who might be able to help. They tested the unknown serum formulas on the girlfriends of the guys who were involved.”

“He injected you,” Alexa said softly. Nia nodded.

“Without telling me or asking permission,” she said. “I broke up with him, called the cops on the drug ring. They all got arrested. Took him three months to stop calling me. First month was begging me to take him back, second was him telling me that I was worthless without him.”

“And the third?” Alexa asked hesitantly.

“Calling me all sorts of names, and telling me he hoped I died,” Nia finished. She shrugged “Four months after the arrests were made, I pulled the bedroom door off its hinges.”

“Was Tamina…?” Alexa asked.

“Arrested? No,” Nia said. “She wasn’t part of the drug ring. She started dating someone, turned out to be one of the officers that was assigned to the case, and she accidentally got pulled into an undercover operation. Matthew was kind of a coincidence, he was the friend of one of her college friends. By the time I got pulled into it, well, it was too late for her to change anything.”

“I’m sorry Nia,” Alexa said, resting her forehead against Nia’s shoulder. Nia sat back and let the warmth of her girlfriend’s affection soothe some of the old pain.

* * *

 Nia rolled to the side to avoid the blast of air and immediately then had to flatten herself on the rooftop to avoid the icy follow up. She rolled sidewards, and watched the platinum blonde Ice Witch get snared and scooped up in a shimmery silver net.

“Thanks babe,” she called, and Alexa gave her a quick wave from her position on the rooftop. Nia took advantage of the distraction and knocked the Wind Wizard out with a stiff forearm to the back of the head. The Ice Witch screeched and yelled, but Alexa’s speed and athleticism allowed her to snap the power dampening cuffs on the new villain.

“I like it when we team up,” Nia said, Alexa sauntering over to her. Alexa stole a kiss, and threw a wink, before she ran, disappearing into the alley even as the police cars, sirens screaming, came screeching into the area. Nia nodded and got a running start, jumping as high as she could and landing on the building. She had better things to do than wait around for the newest villains to be a pain in the ass again. 6-month anniversary, and Alexa was moving in formally. She couldn’t stick her favourite Pixie Princess with the job all on her own after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Word says this fic was 12345 words. This final culmination of an old idea that was tossed around many moons ago amuses me greatly


End file.
